McDonald's owners: Debit card lawsuit has no merit

WILKES-BARRE, Pa.—The owners of 16 McDonald's restaurants say a lawsuit filed by a northeastern Pennsylvania woman who's challenging their decision to pay employees with debit cards has no merit.

The (Wilkes-Barre) Citizens' Voice reports (http://bit.ly/158OUHV ) that attorneys for Albert and Carol Mueller, whose company owns 16 regional McDonald's restaurants, say the cards "are the functional equivalent of cash or checks." They say employees consented to the payment method.

The company recently filed its response to a class-action lawsuit initiated by attorneys for Natalie Gunshannon. The 27-year-old Dallas Township woman briefly worked at the Shavertown McDonald's earlier this year. She says she was charged $1.50 to withdraw cash.

The company says Gunshannon doesn't have standing to sue because she never was actually paid with a debit card and never incurred any fee.